OHIO Scripps College grads finding success with video production firm Sway the Crowd

Sep 19, 2013

Scripps College grads finding success with video production firm Sway the Crowd

By Kerry Tuttle

ATHENS, Ohio (Sept. 19, 2013)—A pair of Scripps College of Communication alumni are finding their professional niche through Sway the Crowd, a Columbus video production company they founded by focusing on quality video production in the digital age.

Brian Grady, BSJ '12, founded the company in 2010 during his sophomore year on campus. He and a group of fellow students had the business idea while working with Athens Video Works.

"We thought, once we graduate, this is the type of work we're going to be doing. That's where the money is locally," said Grady.

Grady and School of Media Arts and Studies alumnus and award-winning videographer Ryan Nord, BSC '13, make up Sway the Crowd. They also have partnered with a creative director and animation specialist and other various contractors to produce videos that tell clients' stories and help them to communicate their brand effectively. Grady describes it as a "small, but professional team that does quality work."

Some of this work has been for various groups and events associated with Ohio University, such as the Ohio Alumni Association for which Sway the Crowd traveled around the nation to interview alumni for a Black Alumni Reunion video. The YouTube hit "Gangnam Style," which turned the Marching 110 into an online sensation, was also filmed by Sway the Crowd.

While they still support Athens and the University, the company is now based out of Dublin, Ohio, near Columbus.

"Columbus is a hopping city. It has an intelligent startup community and a lot of community outreach. It's energizing," said Grady.

The future for Sway the Crowd is bright as Grady and Nord work to create a stable business out of the Columbus area. Their short-term goals are to become adept in digital distribution since there is more potential for convergence when their work can be found and shared online.

"We want to brand ourselves saying we create video and connect it with online audiences," said Grady.

Eventually, the team looks to grow their business by purchasing a production truck to provide them with flexibility and mobility to perform same-day edits and provide clients with finished products in a day's time.

While Grady says the duo seeks "quality and quick turnaround" in their work, the hesitate to define themselves at experts at just one type of video.

"I don't want to think too far into the future because each project takes us in a different direction," he said. "We simply adapt and look at what projects inspire us."